Now we can speak a little Italian, we stand much closer when we walk/talk to others, and we avoid the restaurants that advertise in English. But truth be told, we will always embrace our inner tourist.

I just returned home from a (short) weekend trip to Switzerland and Como Lake. Although the views of the Alps and the lake were awesome, there was wayyy too much bus travel involved. Regardless, I snapped some great shots!

Day 1: Switzerland (St. Moritz)

We arrived in Switzerland in the afternoon by the Bernina Express – a train with high windows that runs through the Alps. The ride was about 2 hours, and covered the most beautiful landscape.

We saw SO MUCH snow! It was actually very cold in Switzerland – we had jackets and gloves on, which was quite a change from our 80 degree weather in Florence.

After we settled into our hotel, we hit the nearest chocolate shop.

I came out with 3 LARGE bars (dark, milk, hazelnut) and several truffles. They were delicious! One of my favorites was stuffed with coconut.

We snapped a few pictures near the mountains….

…then headed back to the hotel around 7 for a traditional Swiss dinner.

Pasta with mushroom cream sauce

This was originally turkey w/gravy and french friends. My request for a vegetarian meal? An entire plate of french fries.

Dessert: chocolate mousse!

Day 2: Como Lake, Italy

We woke up bright and early in the morning, and enjoyed an INCREDIBLE breakfast, full of swiss muesli, meats and cheeses, oatmeal, yogurts, etc.

The title says it all – I am currently packing my bags for snowy/rainy weather. It’s still 80 and sunny here in Florence, but tomorrow I will be leaving for a weekend trip to Switzerland and Como Lake. Apparently it’s much colder 1500 ft up in the mountains 😉

Today I wandered around the leather markets, and ended up stopping in the Central Market for some last-minute snacks. I grabbed a few apples and some bulk items (dates, figs, and walnuts) for the trip. My friends and I also ordered a sandwich for tomorrows lunch – I stuffed mine with brie, lettuce, peppers, and cucs 🙂

Checklist:

Northface
Gloves
Hat
Boots
Longsleeve Shirt
JeansCHECK!

I will be back Sunday with a full recap and hopefully a box of chocolates!

My friends and I just returned from an AMAZING weekend on the Amalfi Coast. We booked the trip with a student travel company, and saw 4 different cities – Capri, Positano, Pompei, and Sorrento! Our hostel was located in Sorrento, and was only a short distance from each other the other cities. I will let the pictures do the talking….

Day 1: Capri

We enjoyed a private boat ride along the coast, and experienced the Blue, Green, and White Grottos. We also participated in limoncello tastings. A little strong for my taste…but I did enjoy the limoncello chocolates 😉

Later in the day, we rode a ‘ski’ lift to the top of the mountains.

Lunch on the island wasn’t too bad either…..

A ‘soup’ of mussels and clams in olive oil/broth. Delicious.

After a full day of shopping and boating, we enjoyed a group dinner in Sorrento. I was craving vegetables.

Day 2 was the BEST. We swam all day in the clear Mediterranean, and later took a private boat tour to our Cliff Jumping location 😉

Yes, that’s me on the end, scaling the cliff. I jumped off right around there, at the 8 ft drop. If you look at the top of the picture you will also see people at the 35 ft location – I jumped from there, too! Gosh, what an exhilerating experience. Truthfully, I don’t think I’d do the high jump again. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done.

Lunch in Positano was a GIANT Panini.

Italian roll, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and pesto

After some shopping, we headed back to our hostel for a low-key dinner. I fell asleep around 9pm…I was EXHAUSTED!

Day 3: Pompei

For those of you that don’t know, Pompei is an incredible historic site. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city of Pompei. The city was eventually recovered, and houses, shops, along with plastered humans and animals were found. It is such an interesting site. I had actually visited Pompei back in high school, so I was familiar with some of the history.

Suprisingly, Pompei was loaded with fresh fruit juice stands, and I didn’t hesistate to enjoy some fresh squeezed OJ with lunch.

Mmmmm, so pulpy!

It was a 7 hour busride home – my roomates and I slept VERY well that night! It was such an incredible trip, and SO worth the ride!